Viral Hepatitis Prevention Program

“Hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver, and also refers to a group of viral infections that affect the liver. The most common types are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C, and to a lesser degree, Hepatitis D. Of these, Hepatitis B and C can cause chronic disease.

Viral Hepatitis A (HAV):

How is HAV Transmitted?
Ingestion from fecal matter, even in microscopic amounts, from:

Close personal contact with an infected person

Sexual contact with an infected person

Ingestion of contaminated food or drink

Although anyone can get HAV, certain groups of people in the United States are at higher risk, such as those who:

Sharing of contaminated needles, syringes, or other injection equipment

Less commonly through:

Sexual contact with an infected person

Birth to an infected mother

Needlestick or other sharp instrument injuries

Some people are at increased risk for HCV, including:

Current injection drug users (currently the most common way HCV is spread in the United States)

Past injection drug users, including those who injected only one time or many years ago

Recipients of donated blood, blood products, and organs (once a common means of transmission but now rare in the United States since blood screening became available in 1992)

People who received a blood product for clotting problems made before 1987

Hemodialysis patients or persons who spent many years on dialysis for kidney failure

People who received body piercings or tattoos done with non-sterile instruments

People with known exposures to HCV, such as
-Healthcare workers injured by needlesticks
-Recipients of blood or organs from a donor who tested positive for HCV

HIV-infected persons

Children born to mothers infected with HCV

Less common risks include:

Having sexual contact with a person who is infected with HCV

Sharing personal care items, such as razors or toothbrushes, that may have come in contact with the blood of an infected person

Viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer and the most common reason for liver transplantation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 4.4 million people in the United States are living with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) or chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection - about 800,000 to 1.4 million people have HBV and an additional 2.7 to 3.9 million people have chronic HCV.
In the State of Kansas all suspected and confirmed viral hepatitides (acute and chronic) are reportable to KDHE by law (K.S.A. 65-118, 65-128, 65-6001 - 65-6007, K.A.R. 28-1-2, 28-1-4, and 28-1-18) by health care providers, hospitals, and laboratories.